Call of Blood
by Mina3
Summary: Post-SSO:R The Gods' Followers stir again, and Majic must answer at last to the call of blood.
1. Default Chapter

**The Call of Blood – Prologue  
Reminiscence  
**by Mina

Standard disclaimers for _Majutsushi Orphen _and _Majutsushi Orphen: Revenge _apply.  As a work of fan fiction, this is intended only for entertainment purposes—well, and to provide a distraction for the author from those dreaded things in reality that want her soul.  ^_^

Warnings:  Um…currently…blood and gore, a bit of foul language, potential slight OOC, but this takes place roughly three years after the end of the _Revenge_ series, so a little OOC is to be expected, right?

A/N:  As always, I dedicate my SSO writing to D-chan, who's something of a bright and bouncy light in my gloomy world right now.  It's going to be a long story, and I'm going to be slow updating because of said gloomy world (and my HP monster fic), but I will finish it, I promise.  *hugs*

A/NII:  IF AT ANY POINT THIS GETS CONFUSING, go and read the oneshots posted on FF.net or my website for clarification.  This does play heavily off the events in those stories.

            _In Darkness He Cries_

_            Call Me, Call Me_

_            Wise Beyond His Years_

_            Family_

_            Speaking Without Words_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Majic-kun, these are the latest divinings that Lai was able to gather."

Majic smiled as Tish handed him the thin stack of paper, one hand cradling the back of his head.  "Thanks.  How is Hartia coming on finding those books?"

"The going's slow.  It doesn't help that only half of the Elders are supporting us on this."

His smile turned wry.  "Yeah, choices, choices:  sit and do nothing, allowing the God's Followers to slaughter us like lambs, or go out and try to reconnect with the other sorceri schools.  I can see how this decision is so hard."

Tish clucked her tongue, though she was smiling.  "Now be fair, Majic; some of the Elders are nearly two centuries old.  I can see why they'd be reluctant to believe the reports."

"I can as well, but when the evidence is in front of their own eyes?  Erris is still recovering from her injuries when she went to Toferum for the annual testing of younglings.  I honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to heal her, Tish."

"I know."  Tish laid her hand atop his, squeezing lightly.  "But you did heal her.  The rest of her recovery is up to her and nature, but she's a strong-willed girl; she'll pull through."

"Thanks for these.  I'll get to work on them and meet with you and the others after dinner."

"All right.  Do you need anything else?"

He didn't look up, but she watched as his hand crept to the Tower of Fangs amulet around his neck:  once it had belonged to Azalie, then to Krylancelo who became Orphen, and now…now it belonged to Majic Lyn, Rune and Voice Master, Second Level Clairvoyant of the Tower of Fangs.  "No."  His voice was hushed, the thick dark gold of his hair obscuring his face from view.  "No, I don't need anything."

She left him, pausing in the door to look back; he hadn't raised his head, and she knew that, even after all this time, he was fighting tears.  _Perhaps I should have asked if you needed "anyone", Majic-kun._  Shaking her head, she slipped through the door and headed towards the library to help Hartia.

*          *          *          *          *

Majic rubbed at his eyes, glancing over at the candle in the window.  There was still about a half hour before he was due to meet with the others.

Lai's divinations weren't always as clear as either of them would have liked, but they'd never been as cryptic as they were now, either.

It was at times like this that he wished the different sorceri schools hadn't scattered to the four winds.  Some had been established before the Tower of Fangs, some after…and there were even rumours of one or two schools that had branched from disaffected Masters leaving the Tower.

A map of the Kielshima continent sat in front of him, Lai's notes off to the side.  Small dots of red wax on the parchment indicated where Lai had detected sorceri energies, blue wax indicated where there was heavy shielding, and green wax indicated high levels of Dragon energy.  Sitting back, he noted there weren't anymore than two dozen total, but they couldn't even be certain that their readings were exact.  Majic's own talent in clairvoyance was unreliable for this sort of work, which frustrated him to no end.

He looked up towards the northern part of the map, noting where three coloured dots coincided:  green, blue, red formed a triangle in the bowels of the Dharakas Mountains.  Reluctantly he reached into the central drawer of his desk, removing slim, weathered volume carefully bound in the toughest of leathers and protected with runes.

His fingers moved on memory, activating the key code, and with a barely audible _click_, the book opened.

_I'm sorry I couldn't do more, Majic.  Love—_

Scratchy, faded runes, smeared with blood…it still made a lump rise in his throat, even after all this time.  He forced back his tears and skimmed through the pages until he found the entry he was looking for…the last entry before the book had returned to him in the care of a dying Snow Hawk.

I wish you could see this!  When the moon came out, light began to bounce of the ice sheets in colours that I can't even begin to describe.  Purples, reds, oranges, yellows, blues, greens—they rival your eyes, but nothing could ever compare.  It does remind me, though, how lonely it is up here in this freezing wasteland.  I miss you.

_I think I'm close, though.  Something's been tickling my senses for the past day, and with this array of heavenly light dancing around me, I can see something in the distance of the valley…something that sparkles both physically and psychically.  I hope it's what I'm looking for.  If it is, I'll be back soon._

_Love, Orphen_

A tear slipped free anyway, splashing on the back of his hand in a warm eruption.  The others had urged him to move on, but he couldn't.  Orphen had risked his life for this…and he would do no less.

He closed the book, re-sealing it, placing it back in his desk.  As for moving on…there was no one else for him.  Tish understood that, though she didn't like it.  Like the Dragons of old and the Tenjin, Majic had bound himself to one person for life.

He gathered up the notes and the map, rising to his feet.  Closing his eyes, he sighed, willing the kinks in his neck and back to quiet.  Barely twenty years old and he felt at least thrice that age.

There was a knock on his door, and he turned his head to call out, closing his mouth ruefully when he realised that Lai was already standing in the doorway.  "I just wanted to make sure you hadn't gotten caught up."

"No, I remembered."

"Tish ordered dinner from the kitchens.  She said you haven't been remembering to eat."

Majic shrugged, making his way over to the older man.  "I hadn't really noticed."

Lai's smile was tight, blue eyes narrowed.  "Majic, you're no good to anyone, let alone yourself, if you starve.  He wouldn't have wanted that."

It was a struggle, but Majic mustered a smile.  "It's not intentional, Lai, I assure you.  I'm determined to fix things for him.  It'd be a betrayal of all he did if I gave up."

Lai motioned for Majic to precede him.  The Masters' corridor was hushed and dimly lit; many of the Tower of Fangs' Masters now held patrol positions with the Journeymen on the Tower's walls, and a few were stationed in nearby towns in an effort to keep the God's Followers' attacks under control.

"We all thought that you would follow him."

Majic closed his eyes.  "Once we broke the barrier on my magic, he insisted that I return here to train.  And he stayed, for awhile."

"That's not what I meant, Majic.  When we heard about…up north…we all thought you would follow him into death."

"I will.  But not yet."  And Majic turned his head, gifting Lai with a brilliant smile.  "I would disappoint him if I didn't do my best to fix things here, first."

He'd been so calm, so angelic when he said that.  Lai shook his head, following the slim blonde as he led the way to the library.  Like Orphen, he was one of the most powerful and one of the most intelligent sorcerers that the Tower of Fangs had ever seen…and like Orphen, he would one day leave them to die.

*          *          *          *          *

"So what's our next move?"

Majic smiled when Hartia's head listed slightly to the side, resting on Lai's shoulder.  "Though the information Lai divined, and what Tish and you were able to gather, points that we should head up here"—he pointed at the northern triangle—"I want to head south first.  Raindust, Totokanta, Alenhatan…I want to check out the ruins there first for further information.  Plus, when we stop in Alenhatan, I can see if Stephanie was able to make out those runes that I couldn't."

"Why?"  Tish's eyes were narrowed, lips taut.  "I mean, I can kind of see your reasoning, Majic, but if everything _does_ point to the north…"

"I also want to gather a few more allies."  Majic smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear.  "Cleao and Leki would prove a great help, and if I can persuade Stephanie to come…she's been regaining some of her magic ability in the last two years, and she _is_ the foremost authority on Tenjin and Dragon ruins and runic inscriptions."

He looked down at his hands.  "And I haven't been to Totokanta in almost four years.  I think it's time that I returned and settled my accounts there."

Lai's eyes widened and he jerked, making Hartia yelp at the sudden loss of a leaning post.  "What the—?"

Majic didn't seem to notice Lai's movement or Hartia's outburst.  "Something's been calling me home for years, I think.  I've resisted for as long as I could, but after Orphen's…  It's become hard."

With Majic's words, Hartia understood Lai's surprise.  He clasped his friend's hand, giving him a tight smile.

"It's hard to resist the call of blood."

Majic nodded.  "I plan to leave in the next few days.  I wasn't sure if any of you would want to accompany me or not.  With those three towns, we'll probably be gone about three weeks.  After that, I plan to return to the Tower to regroup and plan the next move."

"I wish I could go, but there's no one I can delegate my classes to if you're leaving," said Tish with a wry smile.

"When you go north, I'll be going with you—and the Elders are going to fight me on that decision every step of the way.  I think it would be best if I stayed here for now."

Majic nodded again at Lai's reasoning.  "Fair enough.  Hartia?"

Hartia's lips were pursed, his eyes narrowed with thought turned inward.  "Like Tish, my only two potential replacements are yourself and Erris, and you have to go, while Erris is laid up in the hospital wing for at least another week.  And I think…I think it would be best if you did this on your own."  He looked up, giving Majic a quirky smile.  "That probably made no sense at all."

"Actually, it made perfect sense."  Majic gave them all a dazzling smile, chin propped on his fists.  "I'll probably stop in Alenhatan first, then Raindust, then Totokanta.  I'll keep you appraised of my situation as much as possible."

"You'd better."  Tish's eyes were narrowed even further, and she gave him a fierce smile.  "If I get a dying Snow Hawk in three weeks, I'll find your body and kill you again myself."

For the first time in a long time, Majic felt a thrill of fear.  Her fierce expression, her low-voiced threat, the power he knew she had to back it up with—and knowing that the Elders called her the Scream of Death…  He smiled shakily.  "Understood."

"Good."  Tish was all smiles and good cheer once again as she gestured to the table and heavy dishes before them.  "Now that the decisions are out of the way, let's eat!"

Suddenly weary, Majic complied with her order and attempted to eat.  But the food, delicious as it no doubt was, seemed dry and bland.  Since Orphen's loss, nothing had been alive—like his heart.

*          *          *          *          *

"But you can't go!"

Majic smiled as Erris tried to struggle from her cocoon of blankets and bandages, holding up a hand to still her.  "I have to, Erris.  And as soon as you're well, you need to help the others as much as possible."

"But, but…"

"No more buts.  It's time that we start putting things into action.  After what happened at Toferum…"

"I let my guard down, that's all."

She was so stubborn.  He sighed and shook his head.  "Erris, they attacked a school of _children_ because of the rumour of sorceri blood.  They didn't care that you were there, that there were innocent human children there.  It's got to stop."

"And we'll stop it.  But Majic, you shouldn't go alone."

He understood her fears, even if he didn't share them.  "I'm using the transportation platform to go directly to Alenhatan.  After that, I'll have Stephanie when I go to Raindust, and we'll pick up Cleao and Leki in Totokanta.  I'll be fine."

Erris frowned, wishing that she could see him clearly; the bandages around her head obscured half of her vision.  "Majic, you haven't left the Tower in over two years.  Why now?  I know that this is a big deal and everything, but…but…"

His smile returned.  "I thought I said no more buts, Erris.  I have to do this.  The Elders won't miss me, not really; I've never complied with Tower regulations, despite the fact that I'm the most powerful sorcerer here.  And this is something…something that I have to do."

"Duty."  She spat the word, frowning.  "You owe the Tower nothing."

"I know.  But I owe it to him."

And then she understood.  Tears welled in her eyes as she bowed her head.  "Blood, then."

"And love.  Get better soon, Erris.  I want to see you back on your feet when I return."

"You _will_ return?"

Like Tish, her words promised violence should he fail to return.  Turning away, he smiled sadly.  "Count on it."

She watched him leave her room, still struggling to control her tears.  He'd always belonged to another, a fact that she found unfair even now.  But she couldn't hate him for it, nor could she hate the man who had willingly agreed to bind their souls together.

"Orphen…I only wish I could have known you as well as they did."

*          *          *          *          *

It took two days for him to gather everything he needed and to make sure that his farce of a story about "research" was going to work with the Elders.  They seemed delighted that he was going to further the library with translated runic work, which made him laugh; he'd bring back translated runic work, but it would be the translations he'd been working on for two years and had be hoarding for just such a purpose.

Lai, Hartia, and Tish escorted him to the transportation platform, silent and sombre in a way that was disturbing.  He knew they weren't happy with his decision, knew that they would have argued him down had there been any single flaw in his logic, but there wasn't:  he was completely in the right.

His black robes swirled around his ankles and he stepped across the patterned tile, taking up position in the centre of the platform.  He looked up at them, hefting his pack, and smiled.  "I'll send a message as soon as Stephanie and I arrive in Raindust."

"And another when you reach Totokanta," added Tish.  Her arms were crossed beneath her breasts, expression tight; of the three, she was the one angriest at his going alone.

"And another when we reach Totokanta."

"Good luck, Majic."  Hartia's voice was soft, red head bowed.

"Trust your magics and your dreams."  Lai smiled, clutching at Hartia's hand.  None of them were happy, no; but they would support Majic in this endeavour.  What else could they do?

"Thank you."  Hand raised before him, Majic closed his eyes and smiled.  "Kanatai!"

For a moment, the three Masters stared at the empty platform in silence.

"Did we do the right thing?" Tish asked at last.

Hartia raised his head; his expression was as tight as hers.  "I think we did.  We trained him well.  He's more powerful than any of us, more powerful than Childman or Azalie…maybe more powerful than Orphen was.  And it's a sound plan."

Tish continued to eye the glowing tiles broodingly.  "I hope you're right.  Losing Orphen hurt.  Losing Majic…"

She left the rest unfinished.  None of them wanted to contemplate that idea…even though it was inevitable.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Next Chapter:  Alenhatan and Raindust.  'Tis much longer than this, and should be posted within the week.  ^_^  As for Orphen…hee.


	2. Rune Dance

**Call of Blood**

**Part I – Rune Dance**

by Mina

Standard disclaimers for _Majutsushi Orphen_ and _Majutsushi Orphen: Revenge_ apply.  I'm a poor college student who loves anime/manga more than is healthy and uses fan fiction as a means of writing practise; really, if I made any money, I wouldn't be stuck working in a pizzeria for rent.  .

Warnings:  Blood and gore!  Okay, so not really that much blood and gore…yet.  Angst.  Drama.  Hints that will drive people batty.  Shounen ai.  That's pretty much it…for now.  ^_^  It's a bit rough right now, but I promise to post the proofed version later…when my brain re-engages.

A/N:  Never fear, D-chan.  I aim to please…and to surprise.  *snort*  As if I could really kill off Orphen…well, not completely…maybe…

===============================================================

"I've never had anyone sleep on my couch upside down before."

Majic smiled, eyes still closed, hair spilled in a golden curtain across the floor.  His bare feet beat a quiet tattoo against the back of the couch, warm sunlight sinking through his skin and into his very soul.  "I didn't sleep this way, but it feels more comfortable now."

"You're odd, Majic-kun."

"I know."

Stephanie sighed, sitting beside him as she threw her tail of ebon hair over her shoulder.  "I talked with Tim."

"That was talking?"

Smiling faintly, Stephanie reached over and tickled his toes.  "All right, imp.  I _argued_ with Tim.  And I'll go with you."

"He's not happy with me."

"He's not happy with the whole situation.  Alenhatan hasn't been excluded from the Gods' Followers attacks.  He knew that something was going to call me away, especially when my power began to return."

Majic opened his eyes, staring at the distorted book titles across from him, neatly ordered on Stephanie's bookshelves.  "I just wish that I didn't have to be the bearer of bad news."

"You weren't, really."  She smiled, leaning over so that she could see his face.  The aqua eyes had narrowed slightly over the years, the golden hair lengthening 'til it rivalled Hartia's in length.  The once round cheeks had narrowed and slimmed with age, the lips becoming more noticeable in their fullness, but otherwise he was still Majic Lyn—Majic Finrandi—the boy who seemed too pretty to be a boy.  She tapped the end of his nose, smile widening when he went cross-eyed.  "We knew, long ago…we knew that this time would be coming eventually."

Sighing, Majic struggled upright.  He raked hair from his face, wincing at the tangles; the largest downside to fine, long hair, in his opinion, was how easily it got tangled.  But Orphen…

"Cyle Clef knew…because Rox Row knew.  That means that Childman knew."

"And Orphen knew.  That was why he went north in the first place."

Stephanie's smile tightened.  "But the sorceri community as a whole doesn't like to think that they're position or status is being threatened.  Never mind the fact that we were still hunted and killed like wild animals by the Gods' Followers only twenty years ago."

"Hmmm, that's part of our problem at the Tower right now as well.  Only half of the Elders are supporting us on this venture, despite the evidence we have as proof that the Gods' Followers have perfected their munitions and pyrotechnic devices and _aren't_ afraid to use them against us.  You heard about Toferum?"  When she nodded, he continued his story grimly.  "Erris was there to test the younglings.  It's a yearly thing; the Tower sends a representative to each major town to test for sorceri gift and then escorts the children back to the Tower.  We haven't had to send multiple representatives in years, so Erris went alone to Toferum, despite the reports we'd had.  They blew up the temple she was using to test the children, Stephanie.  Two adults, seven children—all dead.  Countless others were injured, and I was barely able to heal Erris back from the edge of death.  It was her home town…she took the attack very personally."

"We heard.  A similar incident happened in Lacardia to the east of here.  There was no Tower representative, but the rumour of a sorceress was enough to drive them into action.  Half the town was destroyed when the fires hit the mines; those that were left alive have relocated to Totokanta and here."

"I just don't understand _why_."  Settling his chin in his hands, he gazed out into the distance, seeing his thoughts and not his surroundings.  "Even after our meeting with the Deep Dragon cult, and my talks with Fiena, I still don't understand why the Gods' Followers are so abhorrent of the sorceri gift and dragon blood.  I don't even understand completely why the Deep Dragons have made the villagers drive out sorcerers."

Stephanie leaned forward, rifling through the multitude of papers on the table.  "Actually, I might have found a partial answer to the dragon/sorceri connection."

"Really?"

"Mmm.  The Tenjin ruins that we fought Killing Doll in…there were a few more subterranean caverns that opened after the floor collapsed.  The runes were really faint, and it's taken me awhile to piece them together, but I think I got the basic meaning.  You might want to check it out for yourself, though."

"What do you have?"  Majic scooted closer, expression eager as she thrust a piece of slightly crumpled paper into his hands.

Sitting back as Majic began to scan her neat writing, Stephanie crossed her arms over her abdomen, frowning as she thought.  "We know that there were originally six Dragon clans that migrated to the Kielshima continent to hide from the wrath of the gods, who were angered that they had discovered magic.  Now, those Dragons were different from…from the dragons that we know today.  I suppose we could call them "weredragons" to differentiate them from dragons.  They could assume human form, or the large winged lizard form like the Bloody August.  The first generation of children that came about after they began to mingle their blood with the human population of Kielshima became the Tenjin; human-appearing beings of awesome intellect and power, with lifespans longer than what we now enjoy.  Unlike the Dragons who had settled into camps in the mountains and valleys, the Tenjin began to build vast holdings, castles and temples, storehouses of knowledge as they advanced the techniques of magic and the sorceri gift."

"And then the Clan Rift happened."

Stephanie smiled thinly.  "As far as we know, yes.  Apparently three of the clans felt that the Tenjin were overstepping the bounds of sorceri honour and law with the things they were creating.  That was when the first outbreak of war between the Dragons and the Tenjin occurred…and many of the lesser sorceri sided with the Dragons.  Eventually, the Dragons pulled out completely, disappearing into obscurity, leaving the sorcerers to fight the Tenjin alone.  That battle took place several times over a span of five hundred years…which was nearly seven hundred years ago by our reckoning.  Now all that remains of the Tenjin are their ruins and wreckage, while the Dragons are still nothing more than our past and ancestors."

"The Deep Dragons…they're more like the Bloody August was, then.  They were actually dragons that were here before the Dragon Clans moved to the Kielshima continent?"

"My studies have led me to that conclusion."

"And the Gods' Followers?"

"You should know from your own studies how that happened."

Jumping to his feet, Majic began to pace the length of the bookshelf, eyes narrowed as they scanned for the title he was looking for.  When he found it, he pulled the heavy book out and began to flip through the thin pages.  "Supposedly, according to historians, the Gods' Followers appeared here on a holy pilgrimage.  There was supposed to be some great artefact of their gods' hidden here somewhere.  However, their gods/god/whatever preached that magic was anathema, and they began to eradicate sorcerers wherever they found them.  This was what caused the Tower of Fangs to be established in the first place nearly six hundred years ago."

Stephanie, curious as to what he could possibly be looking for in Sorceri Doctrine and Autocracy, came to stand at his side.  "Majic…?"

"This was written by the Gods' Followers, you know."  He closed the book, looking over at her with a faint smile.  "They accused the sorcerers of hiding their gods' gift to them, using that and their own twisted doctrine as an excuse to execute sorcerers without reason.  According to what Hartia and I were able to find, they've never found this "gift" that their gods sent them after."

"And you think that's the reason they've resurfaced with such a vengeance after nearly twenty years of silence?"

He shrugged, placing the book back on the shelf.  "We don't know for sure; all we can do is speculate.  I think there's been a revolution in their leadership to spur this sudden activity from them, and I think it might have to do with this supposed "gift".  But there are more of them than we ever suspected.  If they're able to outright attack Toferum and Lacardia, to guerrilla terrorise Alenhatan and Totokanta…to spread into the north towards the Tower itself…their numbers must be massive."

Her blue eyes narrowed as she watched his face; unlike Orphen, who had been an open book to her, Majic, despite his innocent-seeming ways, always managed to shutter his emotions.  Hesitantly she reached out, touching his cheek.  "What are you thinking?"

He smiled, and she knew that he was going to lie to her…or, at least, not tell her what he was really thinking.  "I think that I'd like to visit those chambers in the Tenjin ruins."

Sighing, she pulled her hand back, letting her eyes fall to the floor.  He had changed so much from the boy she had known and envied.  "All right.  Give me a moment to change and I'll go with you."

"That's all right, I remember the way there."  His smile grew, and he absently fingered the Tower of Fangs medallion around his neck.  "I'll be back this evening.  We'll probably leave for Raindust early tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

"That's fine.  I'll start packing my things."

She waited to hear his footsteps leaving, looking up after a moment when she realised he hadn't moved.  His aqua eyes were trained on her, narrowed, lips pursed…  For a moment, she wished that she were wearing her glasses in an effort to hide whatever it was he was searching for.

"It's hard to be alone…even in love, isn't it?"

And then he left, and she cursed him silently for seeing what no one had seen except for herself.  On shaky legs she made her way to the couch, collapsing with a stuttered sigh, eyes sliding closed.  She loved Tim with all of her heart, but now that her magic had returned…

A single tear slipped down her pale cheek.  Orphen had told her at their parting six years ago that the reason he was leaving was because he couldn't understand how quickly she dismissed the loss of magic from her life.  But he hadn't seen how it had actually bothered her at first; her earliest memories were of Cyle Clef and his gardens, of training her gifts with the man who had been her first love and lover, who had disappeared one dark night into the north and was never seen or heard from again.  She had thought—had hoped—that the loss of her magic was a way to start over again, which was why she had used the last of her fading abilities to change the body of Stephan into the body of Stephanie.  And then, two year later, she had met Tim…quiet, loving, flower shop Tim…and had allowed herself to love again, thinking that the loss of magic meant that her expected lifespan had been shortened.  She would live out her years with the man who knew nothing of her past other than she had once been a sorceress and was a renowned ruin and rune expert, and who had told her that he didn't need to know more than that to love her.

Another tear fell, splashing onto her hand, which was clenched in the fabric of her trousers.  She should have known that the blood of the Dragon Clans wasn't so easily dismissed.

*          *          *          *          *

Majic hummed softly as he crawled over the large chunks of fallen pillars and wall, smiling as he remembered the fight with Killing Doll so many years ago.  It seemed odd to look back and think on how inexperienced he'd been, now naïve, how trusting…  With a small laugh, he shook his head and halted in front of one of the newly revealed caverns.

"_Hikari_ _yo_."

Light danced on his fingertips, pooling into the centre of his hand.  Black robes swishing across the dusty floor, he entered the room.

Stephanie had been right; the room was literally _covered_ from wall to wall with runes and images.  But earthquakes and time had rendered several of them unreadable in places.  He could see where she had tried to reconnect fractured lines with chalk in an effort to piece together what the runes had said.

Stephanie had a more in-depth grasp of the Tenjin ruins, of the history of the Dragon Clans and the Tenjin than he did, and he was probably her equal now in runic knowledge, but there was one thing that he surpassed her in…one thing that he had surpassed _everyone_ in.

Letting the light spell diminish, he closed his eyes, cupped his hands before him, and incanted.

"_Ware wa hanatsu, kami no akari._"

A golden glow filtered like dust upward from his fingers until it filled the room, settling on the walls.  When he felt his cheeks warmed by the surrounding glow, Majic opened his eyes.

Starting with the wall in front of him, he began to read the runes that the spell had recalled from the depths of time.

***

Night had fallen by the time Majic emerged from the Tenjin ruins, face smeared with dust and worn with exhaustion.  Six rooms total had taken a lot of energy out of him, but he had a detailed transcript now of what the walls had said.

He paused, sitting carefully on the ground just outside of the gatehouse, leaning his back against the wall.  He mustered enough energy to cast the light spell again, pulling out his folded paper to peruse what he had found.

Lai called it a form of automatic writing; when Majic used that particular spell, it was as if his hands worked on autopilot, writing what the spell had revealed with his conscious mind actually noticing what he was doing.  That was part of the reason the spell was so exhausting.  Combining a clairvoyant talent with an active sorceri spell…  Orphen would have said he was begging for trouble.

Majic smiled, wiping a dirty hand across his brow as he began to read.

_"Six Clans came from the east to this land of Kielshima, six Clans of different talent who had defied the Gods and claimed the gift of magic as their own.  Clan Clearwater and Clan Evenstar, those who commanded the Voice for their own; Clan Evernight, who puzzled with runes and symbols; Clan Dreamfire, who was gifted with Sight and Sense beyond their brethren; Clan Nightshade, with the power to adapt and create; and Clan Iceweaver, with the power to blend Black and White._

_"They shared their gift with the humans they found here, and their first descendents became known as the Tenjin.  Shunning the ways of the reclusive Dragon Clans, we entered Kielshima's societies as its lords and saviours.  We amassed wealth and knowledge, furthering the Dragon Clans magic until it became a gift to rival the gods they had fled from._

_"But those who came after us…those dubbed "sorcerer" by the Dragons themselves, fought us.  They declared themselves independent of our rule and called our wondrous cities vain and a misuse of our power.  They fought our rule over humanity, saying that only an individual had the right to decide their destiny.  The Dragons remained neutral at first…but eventually Voice and Rune lent them their power and we began to fall._

_"Sight, Creator, and Blender disappeared into obscurity.  They neither sided with the Tenjin nor the sorcerers, preferring to slide into myth and shadow.  And when the sorcerers victory over us, the Tenjin, became apparent, the other three clans did the same, leaving the sorceri to rule over all._

_"Or so they had thought.  The Gods' Followers, those that the Dragon Clans had fled from, arrived on the shores of Kielshima as our rule and life were fading.  Whereas our sorceri opponents had fought with honour, the Gods' Follower knew no such thing; they slaughtered Tenjin, sorceri, and human without qualm, all on the mere rumour of "magic".  They claimed to have been sent here in search of an artefact left to them by one of their gods, but it seems more likely that they came to this land to purge the magic that their gods feared._

"The Tenjin die as easily as any mortal when slipped steel between their ribs.  Even the sorceri feared the Gods' Followers and begin to band together, forming schools and enclaves for protection.  The humans now begin to fear and loathe them the way they feared and loathed us; to be labelled "sorcerer" is to be sentenced to execution should the Gods' Followers catch wind of it.  In a way, things have come full circle for us; I do not regret our lives or our passing."

Sighing, Majic frowned as he carefully refolded the paper and slipped it into his robes.  In many ways, it seemed to be a complete record, but it felt…partial, as if there were more to the story.  He'd let Stephanie take a look and see if she could flesh out any more details for him, but he had a feeling that it would take the exploration of more Tenjin ruins before he would have a better idea of what he was facing…and of where the sorcerers and Dragon Clans had disappeared to.

*          *          *          *          *

"What's this?"

Reclined sideways on the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest, Stephanie found herself blinking owlishly when Majic shoved a small stack of paper in front of her.  She unwrapped one arm from her knees, grabbing the papers while giving him a quizzical look.

"My own transliteration of the runes from the ruins.  I used a time revealing spell, so I think they're accurate.  However, I don't think they're complete; I wanted your opinion on them."

Stretching her legs out, she pulled the papers to her chest, eyes narrowing as she gave him a once-over.  Exhausted, filthy, and a bit disappointed, but overall, Majic seemed very pleased with what he had found.  A time revealing spell…she shook her head, deciding not to ask.  "You're filthy…and you're getting dirt all over my couch."

He grinned, reaching out and smearing dirt across her cheek.  "Yep.  And now I'm going to bathe.  I'll be back soon."

She scowled outwardly, but she was smiling inside; in some ways, it seemed as though he was only putting on a front, but in others…Orphen might be dead, but he lived on in Majic's heart and soul.

Once had had disappeared with his pack out the back door to the bath house, Stephanie pulled out her own notes and began to compare them to what he had brought her.

***

"I have to agree:  they're not complete."

"But it _is_ the first substantial record, outside of the Room of Knowledge, that we've found, yes?"

Stephanie wrinkled her nose, waving him back.  "You'll get water on the paper.  Finishing drying that hair of yours, and then we'll continue."

"Yes, mama."

He was laughing, and she turned to shake her fist in his face though she was smiling as well.  "Imp."

His pyjamas were simple in comparison to his ornate Tower robes; a t-shirt and loose pants of powder blue, and the Tower medallion was all that he wore.  Towelling his hair dry, he came to stand at her shoulder again.  "How many other—fairly intact—Tenjin ruins do you know of?"

She set the papers down on the table, tapping a finger against her lips.  "Raindust, Sio, Mefro, and Port Rydia.  That's not counting the Ruins of Baltanders, which are actually considered Dragon Clan ruins, despite their obvious use by the Tenjin at some point."

"Don't forget the Lake Tower in Totokanta."

"The Lake Tower?"

Majic nodded, coming around the couch to sit beside her.  "I never really studied it much, and I haven't been home in over four years, but Orphen once remarked that there were runes inscribed down the central pillar of the tower.  It's the only structure left standing; anything else that was there was destroyed a long, long time ago."

"You mentioned that we were going to Raindust before we headed to Totokanta."

"I wanted to check out those ruins as well.  I need to be armed with as much information as possible before we head the expedition north, and right now I still feel as though we're in the dark on too much."

"Well, the Raindust ruins are probably even better preserved than the ruins here were prior to my waking Killing Doll.  At least, they were the last time I went there."

Majic smiled, damp hair falling about his cheeks and shoulders.  "I've never been to Raindust.  Orphen always wanted to take me there at some point, but we never got around to going."

"Raindust is…unusual."  Stephanie smiled, tugging on a lock of the limp gold hair.  "As the name implies, it always rains there, yet it's…it's beautiful.  Lush, green…the sun does come out upon occasion, but the rain never lets up, always lightly dusting the town and countryside.  They're famous for the Temple of Aeromancy, the weather predictors that have been known to foretell prophecies from the cloud and wind and water patterns."

"Descendents of Clan Dreamfire."  Fingers brushing over the towel, Majic pursed his lips.  "I know that some of the Tower Elders have mentioned that those few sorcerers at the Temple of Aeromancy aren't very powerful."

"Maybe not as true sorcerers, but their gifts in clairvoyance are fairly powerful.  Their numbers have dwindled, though; there probably aren't more than a half dozen people there now.  And it's probably only the fact that Raindust is known to be friends of those with sorceri gift—and the odd weather—that has kept the Gods' Followers away so far."

Majic smiled tightly, fists clenching in the towel.  "At the rate their going, the Gods' Followers are going to make sure that there aren't more than a half dozen sorcerers left at the Tower of Fangs."

"Surely you don't thing they'd actually attack the Tower itself.  There are over two hundred people—"

"Barely over a hundred now.  We've found significantly fewer apprentices in the last two years, and a number of Masters have left of their own accord to protect various villages and towns.  As for attacking the Tower…well, we never thought anyone would be stupid enough to attack a successor of Razor's Edge, but they did, didn't they?"

"Successor of…"  She trailed off, eyes widening.  "Orphen…"

He looked away.  "I'm tired, Stephanie-san.  I'll see you early in the morning."

"Good night, Majic-kun."  Sighing, she rose to her feet and stood over him, smoothing away the long fringe from his face.  "Good night."

Her lips brushed his forehead, and she wished that she could make him understand how much she shared his pain, but it would be tactless and futile to tell him aloud.  In his heart, he had to know that he was loved, and that those who had loved Orphen as well mourned him still.

At least…she hoped that he knew.

***

In the dark of Stephanie's living room, long after the lamps had been put out and the moon had risen to its zenith, filtering silver light through the window, Majic lay awake on the couch, arms crossed over his chest.  His fingers lazily traced the smooth and worn metal of the Tower amulet, lips parted, eyes closed as he tried to remember what it had been like to be happy and whole.

Raindust.  It would take three days, but he was looking forward to it.  Any piece of Orphen that he could grasp…

Tears pooled on his lashes, slipping down the sides of pale golden cheeks.  There had been a time when he could cry with people, during the day, but now…now he could only cry in the dark, could only mourn his loss when he was alone.

_Orphen…  Soon.  I'll return to you soon._

*          *          *          *          *

It was the silence that alerted him to imminent attack.

Stephanie had been steadily walking a few paces behind him for the last two days, both of them keeping their own counsel for the most part.  Their nighttime chats had been pleasant, discussing plans for later and information they had gathered over the years, but there was a distance between them right now that was slightly uncomfortable.  Majic knew that it was mostly his own fault; he kept everyone at a distance.  It wasn't intentional, but he didn't know how to fix it.

He'd been mulling potential ideas over for the past hour, eyes occasionally flicking up to the sky, which was steadily darkening as they drew closer to Raindust.  He was watching the clouds build, anvil-like and black, their bottoms billowing like pulled cotton, when he realised that the birds had ceased their singing.

He slowed his pace slightly to drop back beside Stephanie, eyes darting to the sides of the road and the shadows cast by the thick trees.  "Stephanie-san, is it usual for the animals to be so quiet around here?"

Stephanie smiled slightly, her hands slipping from her pack straps to hang loose at her sides.  "You noticed that as well?  No, it's not normal."

"I think we're about to have company."  They paused on the road, and Majic briefly closed his eyes as he prepared for the inevitable fight.

"My, but you're very brave."

Inwardly Majic cursed, eyes slitting open; only one had appeared on the road in front of him, but he could "feel" at least another dozen people around them.  "Brave?  How so?"

He was young and clean-shaven, with light brown hair neatly pulled back from his face.  In fact, if it weren't for the priest robes and sword at his belt, he wouldn't have appeared out of place in a merchant's hall.  "To flagrantly wear the uniform of a Tower sorcerer and to walk the roads with only a woman at your side shows your bravery—and your stupidity."

Stephanie arched an eyebrow.  "'Only a woman', huh?  I didn't know that the Gods' Followers held women in contempt as well."

"Silence, you who consorts with Tower trash!"

Majic smiled, turning his head slightly to Stephanie.  "Does he think that he's intimidating when he does that?"

She shrugged.  "I don't know.  But it's really tempting to blow him up."

"Tsk, tsk; Orphen always told me that you had amazing patience and a cool temper."

"But he called me a woman."

"Stephanie-san…you _are_ a woman."

"But he didn't have to say it like _that_.  He made it sound like it's a terrible thing."

"Are all sorcerers as stupid and cocky as you are?!"

Majic's smile grew, and he turned to the man, holding up a finger.  "Sir, would you call yourself a man of knowledge?"

Priest Man seemed slightly puzzled by his question.  "Yes—and a follower of the true gods as well."

"Yes, yes.  Well, if you are a man of knowledge and you know that I am a sorcerer of the Tower of Fangs, do you know my rank?"

"Rank?"  Priest man seemed to be offended now.  "Why would we care about your rank, abhorrent creature?"

"In Toferum, the Gods' Followers attacked a temple housing a third level Master of the Voice.  Had she been aware of your attack, she would have been able to save that building…and those people."

Priest Man sneered, and Majic could sense his cohorts finally moving closer.  "That was but a minor attack; she must truly have been a pitiful wench to so easily have been taken out."

"The first rule of war, sir priest, is to know your enemy.  And if you have declared me your enemy, you should want to know as much about me as possible."

Priest Man seemed slightly taken aback, and Majic smiled.  "You know nothing of the sorceri, do you, other than the fact that we can use magic?  Otherwise you would have known that I am a first level Master of Rune and Voice and a second level clairvoyant."

"Those words mean nothing to us.  We fear nothing, for our gods will protect us from you conjurers tricks!"

Majic sighed and shook his head.  "As you wish.  Stephanie?"

Stephanie smiled thinly, her blue eyes narrowing behind red-framed glasses.  Slowly she brought her hand up before her, the dimmed sunlight flashing off the gilt blue nail polish.  "This 'woman' has a gift for you, Priest Man.  _Ware wa saku, daichi no kabe!_"

Majic knew the spell well, and watched as the ground between Priest Man and Stephanie was torn asunder in a massive explosion, shards of earth flying towards the man.  True, there was significantly less power behind it than there would have been had Stephanie been fighting another sorcerer, but it was enough to seriously hurt the man—in Majic's mind, though, a man who attacked innocent people deserved nothing less than death.

The contact explosion was deafening, debris clouding the road and dusting their clothes.  Stephanie smirked as she brought her hand down.  "Think the others will come out now?"

"May—"  Majic broke off, eyes widening.  "No.  No—it's not _possible_."

"What's wrong, Majic-kun?"

The cloud of dust was fading, and they now had a clear view of Priest Man—who was not only still standing, he was surrounded by a faint blue glow.  The smirk of superiority on his face made Majic growl, and he clenched his fists at his sides.  "Your attacks are nothing against the power of our gods.  Now, it's time to die."

The aqua eyes slid closed briefly, and Majic could feel the rest of the Gods' Followers leaving the cover of the woods at last.  "Stephanie…"

Stephanie sighed.  "You're going to make a mess, aren't you?"

Eyes flashing open, hands snapping up as the men broke cover, he said with a grin, "You might want to hit the ground."

Stephanie dropped instantly to the road, throwing her arms over her head, eyes slitted to try and view what was going on.

"You're right, Priest—it's time to die.  _Ware wa hanatsu, hikari no hakujin!_"

But then everything exploded with another deafening blast light and earth and tree, and all she could do was lay there and hope that things would be all right.

***

Majic surveyed the carnage with an air of satisfaction, his eyes narrowed as he approached the still twitching form of the Priest Man.  The earth was torn, trees fallen, blood sinking into the ground and filling the air with its coppery stench; twelve men dead, soon to be thirteen, all for the stupidity of an ancient, baseless fear.

Priest Man was desperately clutching a fractured amulet, and Majic grinned as he stepped on the man's hand, grinding it into the road.

"You attacked me first, Priest."

Priest Man coughed, lips peeling back to reveal bloodstained teeth.  "You'll die soon enough, sorcerer.  You and all of your kind…will be purged…"

"Would you please hurry up and die?"  Majic crouched down, removing the amulet from the broken hand with a smile.  "Your presence is offending me."

Priest Man spat at him.  "I won't…give you…the satisfaction…"

"Actually, you will."  Majic reached out and wiped the blood from his face onto his finger.  He then traced a small symbol on Priest Man's forehead.  "Remember that I told you I was a Voice and Rune master?"

The man's breathing had become more raspy, the thickness of blood pooling into his lungs audible.  His brown eyes were wide, though; wide in terror at Majic's angelic smile and gentle words.

"I don't have to use my voice to kill you, Priest; I can do it with one, simple, written word."

The broken hands scrabbled uselessly at his head, blood trickling from his lips.  "Bastard…sorcerer…what did…"

Majic rose to his feet, still smiling as he re-traced the rune in the air.  "'Die', friend Priest."

And with a last, hoarse cry, Priest Man's twitching finally ended, his head lolling to the side.

"Ah, that was a bit much."  Majic sighed, dusting his hands off, slipping the cracked amulet into his pocket for later study.  He turned around to look for his pack, and found Stephanie standing right behind him, her expression shuttered as she held his pack out to him.  "Something wrong?"

"They called Azalie the Witch of Tenma and Tish the Scream of Death.  Orphen was the Successor to Razor's Edge, Komikron the Mechanical Genius, Lai the Elemantic Seer, and Hartia the Black Tiger.  What do they call you at the Tower, Majic?"

Slipping his pack straps over his shoulders, Majic ran careful fingers through his hair, wincing when they caught on tangles.  "Hmmm?  I don't know that I really have a name at the Tower, Stephanie.  But it's been whispered that the Elder's call me the Dragon's Smile.  I have no idea why, though.

"Let's get going; I could really use a bath after that."

***

Stephanie shuddered as she past the broken wreckage of the priest's body, eyes fixing on Majic's back.  He had changed, and she couldn't rightly say if it was for the better or for worse.  He was stronger, that was for sure.  And his time at the Tower had hardened him—as had Orphen's death, no doubt.

_Dragon's Smile, huh?_  She shook her head, grateful when the rain at last began to fall, dulling the scent of death.  The Dragons had possessed magic so powerful they had been able to view the gods of the Giant's Continent in physical form.  And according to old legends, a Dragon only smiled with bared teeth when they were about to attack or kill.

Raindust was coming into view, the grey and white buildings pale monoliths above the black-green of the surrounding forest and mountains.  The Gods' Followers had deserved to die; she couldn't refute that.  And such actions on the part of anyone else wouldn't have bothered her, but to see Majic like that…smiling as he killed the man with a single rune and sorceri will…

_Orphen…  I'm glad you aren't here to see what we've made him become._

*          *          *          *          *

Majic had to admit that, despite the town's sombre air due to the constant rain, Raindust really was quite pretty.  The lush vegetation, the brilliant colours that decorated window sills and flower boxes, the smiles of the people as he walked the main street…  He smiled back, waving at the children playing a game of ball in the mud.

"There's the orphanage…and the Temple of Aeromancy."

Majic paused at Stephanie's words, lifting his eyes to the massive buildings she'd indicated.  "It's so big…"

"Raindust takes in children from all over, but their one of the biggest shelters for sorcerers and potential sorcerers, like I told you before."

"That explains why Azalie, Tish, and Orphen came from here.  I never stopped to wonder why almost a quarter of our new students would come from Raindust."

"The orphans are watched over by the temple clairvoyants."  She cocked her head to the side, on hand on her hip.  "It's ideal, really.  They've never lost a child to the Inception illness here."

Majic shuddered, turning his head away.  One of the things he hadn't learned until much, much later was that there was a high chance that a person with dragon blood with go insane with the fever that accompanied the awakening of their powers and die.  "The ruins?"

"They're at the edge of town."

"Did you want to come with me?"

She laughed, and he was glad that is seemed she had gotten rid of her melancholy mood.  "You might be more powerful than me, Majic, but you'd still get lost without me."

He smiled.  "Oh, I don't know.  I usually managed to muddle my way through things fine on my own."

"Muddle?  Why, I…  You don't _muddle_ in Tenjin ruins, Majic!  You carefully make your way through the tunnels, avoiding the traps, finding the hidden rooms and their treasure of runes…"

He laughed her rapt expression.  "All right, all right.  Shall we?"

"Only if you can keep up, Master Finrandi!"

Majic sputtered as she took off through the mud and muck, laughing with her black hair a flying cloak behind her.  "Wait a minute!"  Like a child again, he chased after her with a laugh, momentarily forgetting the weight of responsibility that sat on his shoulders.

***

"These really _are_ in better condition."

Stephanie grinned, leading him through a narrow passage.  "Raindust is located in a relatively stable geographic area, and almost no one ever comes up to these ruins anyway.  Most of the people that would want to see them aren't friendly towards sorcerers and so aren't allowed into Raindust at all."

Majic craned his head, hand held aloft, to get a better view of the images that lines the passage.  Detailed portraits and scenes…one that looked like a High Supper, another that looked like a battle, and still another that might have been a wedding…  "This is amazing.  I can't believe the Tower doesn't have any real information on it."

"Rox Row's students studied here, so there might be hidden records of Childman's somewhere at the Tower."

"Maybe."

He continued to follow where Stephanie led, absorbing the images like a sponge for later reference.

"There are only two chambers with runic writing that I ever found, but it's a Tenjin script that I'm not completely familiar with; that's part of the reason my research here was never finished.  However, I wasn't able to find anyone that could help me translate the older runes into more familiar ones."

"Azalie probably could have done it."  Majic smiled, reaching out to touch the stone walls; the stone was cool against his skin, but he could feel magic thrumming beneath the surface, a bubbling warmth like sunshine, hot springs, and balmy summer days.  "There's a ley line tap here."

"Really?  Huh; I never noticed it before, and the last time I was here was after the accident."

"Did you ever notice any central structures in those two chambers you mentioned?"

"Like statues or such?  Not that I remember—we're turning left, and the ground slopes down, so watch your step."

"All right."

Silence fell between them, punctuated by the bob and weave of Majic's light and their footfalls on the cobblestones.  Majic smiled, senses noting the tendrils of searching magic that were rising from the walls as they descended further into the ruins.  The ley line tap at the Tower was a constant thing, and though it was old, everyone knew it was there.  The Alenhatan ruins didn't have a tap, or if it had, it had long gone dormant.  This tap had been alone for a very, very long time though, and it recognised that someone with Dragon blood had returned.  It offered him endless power, boundless energy, and he let the threads of wild magic wrap around him like a blanket, restoring the power he'd used earlier in fighting the Gods' Followers.

"Here's the first chamber."

Stephanie stopped and gestured to the right and an expansive opening.  The archway was carved marble dragons with arched wings, teeth and claws bared and ready.  "I can't really explain it, but this feels like home," whispered Majic, running his fingers over the carvings.

She smiled, calling forth her own light.  "There aren't many runes in this first room, except on the far wall where the door to the other room is."

Their lights cast eerie shadows off the stone, and the smell of damp and earth became strong as they drew near the far wall.  "See?"

Majic held his hand up, frowning as his eyes scanned the worn runes.  "It's a variant of the later Tenjin script."

"This one I was able to make out all right.  'The Path to Power and the Path to Knowledge are not always the same Path, but they are intertwined like the blood of the Dragons and the fate of this land.  The sound of the Voice has long since left these halls, leaving only the dance of Runes to light the way.'"

"Cryptic, but not unusual for the Tenjin," said Majic with a laugh.  "They seem to have been fond of puzzle and riddles."

Stephanie nodded.  "It took me a bit to figure out the keycode for the door, but once I understood the riddle, it seemed so obvious, so easy, that I berated myself for days."  Using both hands, she traced the runes for 'Path of Power' and 'Path of Knowledge' at the same time, ending by tracing the single runes for 'Dragons' and 'fate.'  With a shudder, the door opened inward, revealing another dark cavern.

"I see why."

"Let's go.  This is where the runes get obscure and I couldn't make any further headway."

Like the walls in the Alenhatan ruins, the chamber was covered from floor to ceiling with runes and images.  However, Majic quickly recognised what Stephanie had meant by the difference in Tenjin runes.  "These are really, really old."

"You told me that you have a time revealing spell, that you can restore the missing runes."

"Sure, but I can't translate them."

"I know, I know…but I want to try something."

A golden eyebrow rose.  "I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

Stephanie set her pack down, and rifled through it for her notebook.  "The idea came to me when you mentioned that there's a ley line tap here somewhere.  There aren't any statues in this room, but the majority of the runes are on the ceiling and they're arranged in concentric circles.  I think it might just take a powerful, active magic spell to activate the runes and, perhaps, reveal the tap."

"All right, I follow you so far.  But how would that help us translate the runes?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes.  "I think you need to go back to school, Majic.  What's the one thing that lay line taps did in ancient times?  What does the Tower of Fangs primarily use its tap for?"

"Memory storage."  Majic grinned, slipping his pack from his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor.  "If we can access the tap, we can access the memory and translate the runes."

"Exactly.  So work you magic, Master Finrandi."

"Voice has long since fallen quiet and only the dance of Runes will light the way."  His eyes were narrowed as he made his way to the centre of the room and looked up at the ceiling.  "If Voice has fallen quiet…"  He closed his eyes and held his hands out before him, grabbed the spell in his head…and began to dance.

Stephanie had never seen a sorcerer perform a spell through dance.  But, then again, she'd never met a descendent of Clan Nightshade and Clan Iceweaver other than Orphen, and Orphen had preferred to be unconventional with his mouth.

Majic's hands were a flurry of concerted movement, tracing runic patterns in the air too quickly for her to follow.  He danced the entire length and width of the room until he'd returned to the centre, where he raised his hands to the ceiling at last.  His whole body shook, and Stephanie hesitantly stepped forward, a hand raised to help should he need it.

But then the room exploded with golden dust motes of light that settled in and clung to the grooves of the runes until the entire room was lit up.  Majic collapsed to his knees with a shuddering breath, and turned to face her.  He was pale, lips toned blue; she hadn't realised the spell would take that much out of him.  "It didn't…didn't work…"

She opened her mouth to reply, but a faint rumble drew her attention back to the ceiling.  Smiling, she pointed to the hole that had appeared, and the crystal arrangement that was slowly descending.  "Yes, it did."

Majic turned his face upwards, almost afraid to believe—but he couldn't deny what he saw with his own eyes.  "The tap."  He grinned, staggering to his feet to embrace the crystal structure when it halted before him.  "Yes—_yes_!"

He whirled away and continued the dance from earlier, eyes closed as he smiled, and the tap crystal pulsed with colour and light, echoing his joy.

She watched him dance about the room, laughter golden peels that echoed the golden light, and tears fell freely from her eyes as she smiled.  _Even now I find myself envying you, Majic.  Maybe there is still hope._

*          *          *          *          *

Majic handed the individual letters to the two birds, smiling faintly.  "Go quickly, my friends."

The spirit birds bobbed their heads before accepting the letters and flying away into the distance.

He leaned on the windowsill, watching the play of patterns in the clouds.  They were getting closer, he could feel it; one or two more pieces and the puzzle would be mostly solved and they could head north.

With a frown, he remembered the fractured amulet that was in his pocket, and he pulled it out to look at it again.  The dull blue stone was cracked and charred, inlaid in a metal that looked like silver, but hadn't melted with the blast that had cracked the gem.  He had no idea what it was or why it had protected the priest from Stephanie's attack like it had, but it would take it back with him to the Tower of Fangs for further study.  Maybe Tish or Hartia would have a better idea than he did.

"Did you get your letters sent?"

He smiled, turning his head to regard Stephanie, who was standing hesitantly in the doorway.  "Yes.  Though I imagine Tish will have kittens anyway; I know that the Tower has operatives around here.  They'll report back to her about our run in with the Gods' Followers."

Carefully sitting on the edge of his bed, she frowned as she watched him return to gazing out the window.  "Do you really hate them that much?"

"I don't even remember how to hate, Stephanie-san.  I just want them _gone_."

*          *          *          *          *

"They arrived in Raindust okay."

Hartia arched an eyebrow.  "'Okay'?  Given your expression of doom, there's a little something more to it than that, Tish."

Tish scowled.  "They were attacked by a band of Gods' Followers outside of Raindust.  Majic and Stephanie are fine, but the reports that Tower agents sent as a follow up bother me."

"Oh?"

"Majic _slaughtered_ them."

Lai and Hartia shared a look at her dead tone.  "You sound…surprised," the clairvoyant said after a moment.

"I am!"  She threw her hands up and began to pace the room.  "I mean, I know that he hates the Gods' Followers, but he's always so compassionate with the students…  He didn't just kill them, he made sure that they hurt and bled and knew fear before they died."

"Tish…"  Hartia sighed, pillowing his chin on his hand.  "Orphen's death changed him.  We all know that.  He wants the Gods' Followers to hurt because of the hurt they caused him.  There's a reason the Elders were sending him to Urban Lama so often, you know.  He's the one that's been suppressing the uprisings there."

"Dragon's Smile."  She shook her head, collapsing back into her abandoned chair.  "I didn't want to believe the rumours I'd been hearing."

"They killed part of his heart, part of his soul.  In some ways, Orphen's death killed the part that was "Majic" and left the Dragon instead."

Tish flinched.  "But the Elders…"

"Approve."  Lai's tone was flat, his eyes narrowed.  "They know what he's doing, what he'll continue to do every time he runs across the Gods' Followers.  They'll use him to protect themselves, to put out hotspots, as long as he lasts.  Majic knows that too.  It's why he's pushing so hard to make the venture north…to find out what happened to Orphen completely before it's too late."

Tish passed a hand in front of her eyes.  "We're going to lose him, aren't we?"

"We lost Majic a long time ago," said Hartia, amber eyes narrowed.  "All that remains is the Dragon-blood sorcerer Majic Finrandi.  And we knew…"

"Dammit, it's not fair!"  Her fist slammed into the tabletop, and she looked up at the two men with wild eyes.  "He's the best chance we've ever had to completely regain our heritage, to pull the sorceri together again, and some stupid revival of the Gods' Followers is going to ruin _everything_."

Lai brushed aside a rebellious strand of hair, frowning down at the tabletop.  "Something's been bothering me about that for awhile now, and in the fire chamber yesterday, a thought occurred to me:  I don't know if it was a subconscious thought of my own or something I saw in the flames, but it's a pertinent question.  What could cause the Gods' Followers to suddenly jump into action like they have?  This isn't something that was steadily building; it came out of nowhere, which is why we were caught off guard."

Hartia frowned.  "It has to do with that artefact, doesn't it?  The one their gods supposedly left here years and years ago?"

"Perhaps.  We've never managed to find out what this "artefact" is or does, but the thought I had…  The thing that keeps the Kielshima continent safe from the Giant's Continent as a whole, from the mass following of the Gods' Followers and their priests, is the Ailmanka Barrier.  It's been in place for over a thousand years now, one of the few relics of the Dragon Clans that we have evidence of."

Silence filled the room for a moment as Hartia and Tish digested his words.

"You think this "artefact" is a way to destroy the barrier," Tish said flatly.

"Or it's actually the power generator for the barrier, yes.  That is my fear."

"I hope, for all of our sakes, that Majic is able to find more information in Raindust and Totokanta to back up our theories.  Because the Elders _really_ are going to have kittens when they hear this."

"Kittens?"  Hartia smiled wryly.  "We'll be lucky if half of them don't keel over dead in shock.  No one's ever proposed that the Gods' Followers are after the destruction of the Ailmanka Barrier before."

"Well, Childman-sensei once said it seemed to be our purpose to boldly go where no student had ever before ventured.  I'd hate to disappoint him now."

They shared a tight smile, each silently vowing to continue their research.  They would get to the bottom of the mystery if it killed them…and even then, they'd be sure to take the Gods' Followers out with them.

*          *          *          *          *

"Mistress Cleao…"

"Hmmm?"  Cleao looked up from her book with a smile, beckoning Dortin forward.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that…"  Dortin paused, pulling a letter out from behind his back.  "I was outside in the garden when this arrived."

Cleao sat up, disturbing Leki.  The Deep Dragon cub, which had grown to the size of a small dog in the passing years, whined when his head left her lap to land on the cushions.  "A letter, for me?"

Dortin looked down at the letter.  "It has your name on it, but the strangest thing is that it was delivered by a bird made of light.  It was really pretty…and it disappeared as soon as it had handed me the letter."

Smiling, she held her hands out.  "I wonder who could be writing?  Mariebella won't reach Urban Lama for a few more days."

She frowned as she looked over the handwriting; neat but rather plain, it didn't seem very familiar.  Oh well; she split the seal anyway and began to read.

Dortin watched his mistress' face go through a wide array of expression before she jumped to her feet with a squeal of joy.  "Mistress Cleao?"

Grinning, Cleao threw the letter in the air and hugged Leki.  "Majic's coming home!"

===============================================================

Spell translation!  (Yes, some of them were invented spells.  -_-;)

Hikari yo.

Light!

Ware wa hanatsu, kami no akari.

I release thee, light of god.

Ware wa saku, daichi no kabe.

I tear thee, wall of the earth.

Ware wa hanatsu, hikari no hakujin.

I release thee, light's unsheathed blade.


End file.
